24-hour biking challenge helps CASA

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) — Saturday is the Subaru CASA Cycling Challenge. It is a 24-hour bike riding challenge to raise money for children in need. Organizers from the event stopped by News 18 at Noon to tell us more.

“CASA stands for Court Appointed Special Advocate,” explained CASA Representative Patti O’Callaghan. “They’re volunteers who are appointed by the court to be special advocates for children in child abuse and neglect cases.”

Event founder Rick Laurie said this will be the fourth time the event will be held at Subaru and he is grateful for their support. He said prior to Subaru hosting, the event was held for two years on West Lafayette County Roads.

“We wanted to create an extreme event that would not only draw attention to the CASA program, but also raise funds for the CASA for Kids fund.”

O’Callaghan said there are a whole range of cyclists, and they all have different reasons for riding a bicycle for 24 hours.

“It is a neat challenge and it’s a whole range of cyclists,” O’Callaghan said. “Some are really into making the mileage — we had a solo rider do 396 miles in 24 hours. But then there’s also teams, and it’s like a relay race. So some of them are just there for the kids. It’s really neat.”

Laurie spoke on the vibe of the event and said it’s a fun environment.

“The race itself is an absolute blast. Everybody’s having fun, everybody’s smiling all day,” Laurie said. “People are there for a good event [and] people are happy. It’s great exercise [and] just a quality cause.”

The Subaru CASA Cycling Challenge is from noon on Saturday until noon on Sunday. If you haven’t registered but would like to participate, O’Callaghan said you can register Saturday morning beginning at 10 a.m.

Watch the full interview above from News 18 at Noon on this year’s Cycling Challenge.